"We're looking explosive. We're looking forward to the season," said Koppenhaver, who is 6 feet 5 and has six college offers, including those from Iowa State, Duke and New Mexico State.

Hart's best player might be Blake Porter, a three-year starting offensive/defensive lineman who has committed to Northern Arizona.

"He's the strongest Hart lineman ever," Hart coach Mike Herrington said. "In my 40 years at Hart as a player and coach, Blake is one of the top three linemen to play for Hart. He's 6-feet, 270 pounds, and if he was two inches taller, Blake would be playing in the Pac-12 next fall."

Or as Koppenhaver put it: "Blake is a beast. He's a monster on both sides of the ball."

Palmdale back on the run

Demario Richard, a Palmdale running back with 22 college offers, is perhaps the area's most exciting player, a threat to score every time he touches the ball after scoring 26 touchdowns in 10 games last season -- the majority on plays of 50 yards or more.

Palmdale coach Jeff Williams said Richard is even better than former Antelope Valley running back Jermaine Lewis, the Golden League's all-time leading rusher who played for UCLA.

"Demario is much more dynamic with more upside potential," Williams said.

Palmdale went 10-0 during the regular season but lost in the first round of the playoffs when Richard was out with an ankle injury, a bitter end to an otherwise impressive year.

"It's a big year for all of us," Richard said. "After what happened last year, we are coming back 10 times harder."

Oaks Christian gets to the point

After averaging more than 35 points a game last season, Oaks Christian returns quarterback Brandon Dawkins, a three-year starter with offers from Notre Dame, Utah, Hawaii and others.

"He's done great during the summer," Oaks Christian coach Jeff Woodruff said. "We won two passing tournaments and we hadn't won one in four years."

Oaks Christian is coming off a first-round Pac-5 division playoff loss, the earliest postseason exit in school history.

"We're all fired up and ready to go," Dawkins said. "We've started to come together as a team and everyone is starting to make plays. If we keep playing like this, we'll be hard to beat."

Oaks Christian's strength could be its defense with the return of defensive lineman Tyrone Fa'anono, linebackers Eddie Rudinski and Andre Chevalier and defensive backs Malik Cyphers and Darick Holmes.